Monroe Fellows Research Grants

The New Orleans Center for the Gulf South announces three to four new faculty research grants for the Spring of 2013. Although independent scholars, writers, and creative artists whose projects encompass the Gulf South may apply, the Monroe Fellows competition is open mainly to tenured and tenure-track faculty at Tulane. Each award runs for twelve months and can be for as much as $10,000. Grant funds can be used to support individual faculty research activities. These include (but are not limited to) travel to collections, the purchase of essential materials or equipment for research projects, and hiring research assistants. We anticipate awarding three or four of these grants every semester.

Grants will be awarded on the merit of the proposed research, and its relationship to the broader goals and mission of the Center for the Gulf South—to explore the region’s rich history and culture and to place the Gulf South, including the areas of the Caribbean and Latin America with which it has been historically linked, in a larger national and international context. Final reports will be due April 30, 2014.

On the theory that good research should result in better teaching, applicants that evince an understanding of how their project might enrich their current classroom offerings will receive special consideration.
An itemized budget should accompany the proposal.

1. The narrative of the proposal should be 3 – 5 pages, clearly explaining the research project to be undertaken and how this grant will specifically facilitate the work. In addition, please mention how your project contributes to research on the Gulf South, advances your own research agenda, and enhances course development.
2. The proposal should also include a clear budget explaining the requested funds. (See the current funding rates). Applicants may request salary payments only for summer periods and approved unpaid leaves.
3. The proposal must include a recent c.v.
4. Please list all university and external grants that you have received or have applied for in the last two years, including COR, Lurcy, and Phase II. If a Lurcy grant was received previously, please include a progress report.
5. The grants should be used within one year after the grant has been awarded. If an extension is needed, a request should be sent to the Executive Committee explaining the reasons for the continuation of the funds.
6. Grantees must provide a personal photo, short bio, and a web-friendly summary of the project with supporting photos, maps etc., for the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South website.
7. A final report on the grant is due on April 30, 2014.

*Selection Criteria
Applications for the Monroe Fellowships program will be reviewed by a Selection Committee consisting of the Director of the Center and external reviewers chosen from scholars in the humanities and the social sciences. Fellows will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:
1. Relationship of the subject matter to the Gulf South broadly defined and to the resources of the Gulf South.
2. Qualifications of the applicant.
3. Quality and feasibility of the project plan.
4. Importance of the proposed project to the applicant's field, and to the humanities and social sciences broadly defined.
5. Likelihood that the project will be completed successfully.
6. Lastly, a plan for making the results of the project available to scholars and to the public at large.